Support for shifting timezones (e.g. when traveling)

When I travel out of my time zone, the due dates of all of my tasks change, rendering RTM useless. Please update the software so this doesn't happen.

Posted at 9:35pm on May 18, 2011

Launchedemily (Remember The Milk) says:

The app will now ask if you'd like to change time zones if we detect that you may be in a different time zone, so it handles this a little better with the new Remember The Milk.

We'll be looking at how we can continue to improve our support for those that travel frequently across time zones. Thanks for your feedback on this! :)

Posted 5 months ago

bergen says:

Absolutely agree. I consider this to be a bug that needs to be fixed.

If you never travel, you won't run into this but as someone who travels a lot, this is a big negative.

Posted 5 years ago

bpm1950 says:

Please fix this time zone problem! Thanks.

Posted 5 years ago

wsnyder says:

Agreed. I love Remember The Milk, but this is its biggest problem.

Posted 4 years ago

ghennessy says:

This is a fatal flaw in an otherwise great product. Please address.

Posted 4 years ago

kerryrosenhagen says:

I don't notice that the due dates change necessarily, but I do notice that queries such as 'dueBefore:now' don't work correctly when used in a time zone other than the one in which a task was created. For example, I created a recurring task due every Friday when I was in Central Time, and now that I am in Mountain - Arizona, the task does not appear in the result of 'dueBefore:now' on Friday, even though when I search for the task it shows a due date of 'today'. If I -select the task and 're-set' the due date to 'today' (in theory making no change to the task's due date) it then appears in the results of 'dueBefore:now'. I also see this as a bug - any task with a due date but no explicit time should evaluate to 12:00 am in whatever time zone the user happens to be. Otherwise the behavior of queries / SmartLists is not well defined and therefore unreliable. The current behavior makes it hard for me to trust that the result of 'dueBefore:now' is providing me with the list of all tasks that require my attention. And the whole point of RTM is to automate something that humans are not good at - remembering to do stuff. But if I can't trust RTM to provide me that accurate list without thinking about what it may be missing, then the utility of RTM is significantly compromised.

Posted 4 years ago

awarlau says:

I agree, better time zone support would be very much appreciated. I travel often and every time I change the time zones on my computer and RTM and phone (I am careful to make sure they are all set to the same) the things that are overdue vs. due today gets messed up. Otherwise RTM is awesome. This is my only major issue.

Posted 4 years ago

pmonjo says:

Completely agree. If a task is does not have a due time, the date should not depend on the timezone where it was created.

Posted 4 years ago

elizabeth.valenti says:

I've noticed this in the past, but it was always during international travel so I let it pass. It now happens during domestic travel, which is unacceptable. Please fix this problem. I'm especially disappointed because I recently renewed my pro account. I would not have if I knew this problem was ongoing and I may not do so again.

Posted 4 years ago

elizabeth.valenti says:

And, does the problem resolve when traveling back to your home time zone?

Posted 4 years ago

msettip says:

This is a pro application meaning we have users that require on this working properly. I noticed there is not a problem in the new time zone if your laptop browser is open when changes are made on a device. The browser passes the new time information to RTM so it sees all access points in the same time zone. But when the browser is closed RTM uses your default time zone setting which does not match up with your device. RTM needs to do a time zone check on the device and then update the server setting. This might fix the problem we are all seeing.

Posted 4 years ago

lenacorinna says:

Please fix. I love this app otherwise...

Posted 4 years ago

daguar says:

+1: for me this is somewhat of a dealbreaker. It seems like an easy fix would be a toggle in settings for whether you want to use System timezone or the Settings timezone for converting due dates you enter.

Posted 4 years ago

jimmiedave says:

Agree - this is awful behavior on the part of RTM. Existing tasks get shifted around, tasks created in the current time zone get shifted around when you return home. A complete mess. I travel in four time zones in the US, and can only rely on RTM in one.

RTM apparently breaks one of my core interaction design principles: Software shouldn't lie to the user. What I mean is that when the user THINKS she's creating a task with no due time, RTM (the software) lies when it says the task has no due time. In reality, it's due at midnight in a particular time zone - which IS an exact due time.

The right way to fix this is to a: ACTUALLY allow tasks without due-times and b: call such tasks due at the end of the specified day in the CURRENT time zone.

This change is probably difficult for RTM to make if they're storing date and time in a single database column (which is a typical way to store such things).

Posted 3 years ago

dogeter says:

As a new RTM user and a frequent traveler, this bug renders a great app useless. Please fix it ASAP

Posted 3 years ago

bsmccoy says:

Spoke with Andrew about this... I understand the issue and really handicaps the app for anyone that travels between time zones.

Posted 3 years ago

brian.mathis says:

This is really irritating me too. I see different due dates depending on whether I use the Web or iPhone app. App shows things are due today, while web shows things are due tomorrow.

I used to live in the Eastern time zone and recently moved to Central. Most of my items were created in the Eastern time zone. I have updated my time zone to Central on the web preferences, but my phone changed automatically. I also travel back and forth once a month, so I can't just change everything to one zone and forget it.

Posted 3 years ago

steevan says:

Totally agree. Really annoying. Please fix in the next update

Posted 3 years ago

rimclean says:

My tasks get all messed up. I set tasks to be due on Monday on my iPhone but when I log in on Sunday on the website they all say they are due today. What am I doing wrong?

Posted 3 years ago

craigbruce says:

The more I travel, the more this becomes a problem.

Posted 3 years ago

trevormccready says:

Just discovered this problem today while in a neighboring timezone. A one hour difference has shifted when tasks are due by a whole day. This is frustrating since I had shifted tasks because of my travel. Please make this allowance (either by optional setting or by default).

Posted 3 years ago

rafikisanchez says:

Lots of good suggestions. This is my ONLY hangup about this app.

Posted 2 years ago

gamma3000 says:

This is my biggest bugbear with RTM, not least because it also becomes a problem every time summer time begins and ends.

Posted 2 years ago

kerk.bugalow says:

any news about this? My pro account expires soon so I need to make a decision if I stay with RTM or switch to a different app.

Posted 1 year ago

chuckda4th says:

I'm doing more and more international travel, and I'm going to have to convert to another tool if RTM cannot straighten this out on the iPhone. Even not having subtasks on the iPhone is manageable...I simply stopped using them. The fundamental lack of time zone support is a massive issue for the busy traveler that lives and dies by RTM tasks.

Posted 1 year ago

berning says:

Yes, this time-zone issue is really hurting my system too, messing up my tasks anytime I travel. I would really appreciate an update/fix or even a workaround. Thanks for whatever you can do!

Posted 11 months ago

mwyadartm says:

Seems like the web version of the app will update time zones when you travel, but the mobile app won't.